Wednesday 07 Oct 2026 @ 10:05
RUSI
Printable version

Development Aid will be Critical to Securing Ukraine

Ukraine needs weapons to win the war, but Europe will need a wider tool set to secure a peace.

Military helicopters flying over a wheat field.

The pivot towards rearmament across NATO has seen a collapse in global Official Development Assistance. Along with the US’s disestablishment of the US Agency for International Development (USAID), humanitarian and development programmes around the world are facing a funding crisis. Yet while the collapse in government charity has not been mourned by electorates, it has significant security implications, not least for the future of Ukraine.

Beyond a Ceasefire

The war in Ukraine is far from won, and continuing to arm Ukraine’s military must be the priority. Fighting Russia into a ceasefire, however, while a prerequisite for a lasting peace, is insufficient to secure it. In the event of a ceasefire, Ukraine will face a cascade of economic and political challenges. It will have to work out how to hold elections equitably with more of its territories occupied and a large part of its population displaced abroad.

More ominously, Russia has diminished Ukrainian exports of grain by 75% compared with 2025 through attacks on shipping, while other industries have shrunk owing to limited availability of power, and attacks on storage and distribution infrastructure. Many Ukrainians have moved abroad to find work. Rebuilding that infrastructure will demand investment, and investment risks being deterred by the threat of a breakdown in a ceasefire and the renewal of Russian aggression.

Click here for the full press release

 

Channel website: https://rusi.org

Original article link: https://www.rusi.org/explore-our-research/publications/commentary/development-aid-will-be-critical-securing-ukraine

Share this article

Latest News from
RUSI

Sanctions are a National Priority but Where is the Data to Prove It?

02/10/2026 14:25:00

The UK and the EU insist that sanctions remain atop their security agendas, but current enforcement levels provide little evidence to support that claim.

Why Serbia’s Election Matters to Israel’s Arsenal

02/10/2026 11:05:00

Israel’s next defence headache may have little to do with Iran, Gaza or Hezbollah. It could begin in Belgrade.

Testing Europe's Resolve: The Growing Threat Against European Energy

01/10/2026 16:05:00

As the Hormuz crisis strains supplies, Russia is likely to test Europe's resolve this winter, with cyberattacks on energy infrastructure the most credible threat.

 

Could Stablecoins be the Future of Payments and Financial Integrity?

01/10/2026 14:25:00

Stablecoins are becoming important payment infrastructure, but policymakers are still trying to govern them through the financial crime frameworks built for traditional finance.

Russia Has Not Avoided Mobilisation: It Has Normalised It

29/09/2026 14:05:00

Vladimir Putin never formally ended his 2022 partial mobilisation. The question is not whether he orders another, but how long its quieter replacement can hold.

 

Under Burnham, Investment Screening Remains Hard to Predict

29/09/2026 11:05:00

There is uncertainty over what capabilities a sovereignty-minded government decides Britain must control.

Europe’s Diesel Vulnerability to US Export Restrictions

28/09/2026 14:25:00

Europe’s reliance on US energy exports was meant to insulate the continent from Russia.

ASIO Chief Warns of Increasingly Complex Threat Environment

28/09/2026 12:05:00

Mike Burgess AM, Director-General of Security at the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO), delivered this year's Gallipoli Memorial Lecture at RUSI on 23 September.

Development Aid as Security Policy?

25/09/2026 16:25:00

Recent cuts to foreign aid have raised serious humanitarian concerns. They also offer vital insights into the relationship between development and security going forward.

What 12 council AI assessments reveal about where to start